Minglong

Chapter 358 Unleashed
Inside the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, heroes gathered, whispering amongst themselves as they waited.

Xie Jinhuan and Sister Guo, dressed as a witch, sat down at the tea table, waiting for the people from Shan Hai Lou to appear. Halfway there, old man Lü Yan swayed over, sat down on a chair beside them, stroked his beard, and whispered:
"Young Master Xie, you've been scheming, trying to take the immortal artifact, and you even used me as a cover. Fortunately, I was quicker to see through your trick and didn't fall for it. But I am indeed curious, if I had really opened the box that day and taken it out of Dragon Bone Beach, how would you have taken it back?"

Xie Jinhuan's initial idea was to have Lü Yan bear the brunt of the firepower while he secretly protected Lü Yan and collected protection money. However, since they were face to face, he couldn't speak too blatantly.
"Old Master Lü and I became friends after a fight. No matter who takes it out, the item will be in the hands of the righteous path. We can discuss its ownership in the future. It's better than us fighting each other openly and secretly, and in the end, neither of us gets it."

"Oh?"

Having witnessed Xie Jinhuan's eating habits, Lü Yan didn't quite believe this nonsense, but he didn't call him out on it. Instead, he said:

"I did help cover for you, young friend Xie, and you've obtained this treasure. Perhaps the reward for helping you out last time could be..."

Xie Jinhuan raised his hand slightly: "I am still in Dragon Bone Beach, and I cannot say that I have succeeded yet. In the path of cultivation, we support each other. If we can return to Luoyang safely with the immortal artifact, we will share the hardships. It would be no big deal to waive the reward of two trees for Elder Lü. However, I really cannot make a decision about the share of Qingming Sword Manor."

When Lü Yan saw that Xie Jinhuan had instead hired him as a henchman, he hesitated slightly. After all, his opponents were Mo Yuan and others, while Xie Jinhuan's opponent was Shang Laomo, who had lost his immortal artifact. The difficulty was completely different.

However, it would be unreasonable for Yanbo City to reclaim its belongings. If they dared not act, he could easily offset nearly half of the debt by simply giving them away, plus the battle-damaged golden armor; the losses from this trip would essentially be recovered. After thinking it over, he decided to say:

"We each relied on our own abilities to seize the Azure Dragon's gift, and we couldn't care less about others. However, after we're done, young friend Xie, on your way back, since we've met, it wouldn't hurt for me to see you off."

Xie Jinhuan nodded and smiled, without saying anything more.

Lu Yan stroked his beard for a moment, then his gaze bypassed Xie Jinhuan and fell upon the Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect next door:
"The Northern Underworld Sect and the Five Spirits Mountain have a long history of interaction, but according to the rules, the Holy Maiden does not easily meet the world. Now, not only has Miss Mingji come to Dragon Bone Beach, but she and this young friend Xie from the south have also set a trap for me, an elder from the same hometown. It's a bit..."

Empress Dowager Guo, disguised as a holy sorceress, was questioned by elders of the northern cultivation sect. Showing no shame for being the mistress of a cultivator from an enemy nation, she calmly replied:

“I consulted the oracle before I left the Holy Land. It was said that Young Master Xie is a chosen one of the gods, and that the gods instructed me to help him. So I will naturally obey.”

That wasn't entirely a lie, but Lü Yan certainly didn't believe it, and simply said:

"The righteous path knows no national boundaries, but cultivators do. The actions of the Northern Underworld Sect are truly unjust. Once we return to Yanjing, I must submit a memorial to the court and ask the Empress Dowager to give me a fair explanation..."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan blinked, and at this moment, he didn't defend Hongyan and old man Lü Yan's nonsense, pretending not to hear them.

After a long period of idly chatting and waiting, Shan Hai Lou finally made a move. A group of soldiers carried a large wooden plank covered with a red cloth onto the terrace on the third floor of Shan Hai Lou. Shang Mingzhen, dressed in a brocade robe, walked to the side and clapped his hands.

pop-

Everyone inside and outside the Mountain and Sea Pavilion stopped talking and moving at the same time, came outside the pavilion, and looked up.

Shang Mingzhen smiled as he surveyed the crowd below. Only after the sect leaders and patriarchs from inside the building had emerged did he proclaim in a loud voice:
"I've just suddenly notified you all to come here. You should all know why. However, there are still quite a few young people here who are eagerly waiting. I'll just repeat the rules again."

"Dragon Bone Beach was a territory designated by the elders of various religions at Fengbo Tower after the chaos of the Witchcraft Rebellion. It was assigned to the jurisdiction of Yanbo City. All the natural treasures produced within its territory belong to Yanbo City, and outsiders are not allowed to touch them."

"However, divine opportunities are essential for cultivation. To encourage the younger generation of righteous cultivators, my master has specially set aside one as a free gift for cultivators from other sects. Everyone can seize it based on their own strength. Whether you are a wandering cultivator from a sect or from the Southern Dynasty or the Northern Frontier, you are welcome to participate."

"However, I hope you will remember that going out of the city to seize treasures is entirely voluntary. For the sake of fairness, Yanbo City will not interfere with cultivators who go out of the city, nor will it be responsible for any possible casualties. Therefore, you should act according to your abilities and not take any risks with a侥幸 mentality."

"Of course, the area outside the city is not entirely lawless. After you leave the city, you can only return to Yanbo City. Along the way, you must avoid towns, ports, sects and other places where people gather. If you trespass, even if you are just going to take refuge, Yanbo City will kill you on the spot if necessary to prevent the war from affecting the people."

"Furthermore, the divinely granted opportunity is meant to encourage the younger generation of righteous cultivators. If any traces of demons or even evil techniques are discovered, such as blood sacrifice, sexual exploitation, possession, or soul refining, Yanbo City has an obligation to suppress and kill them. However, the situation will be chaotic during the treasure hunt, and the detection array will be closed, so the response will inevitably be slower than usual. Therefore, everyone must be vigilant. If you discover any such traces, please try to notify Yanbo City..."

His loud voice echoed throughout the Shan Hai Lou. Because he was speaking of a 'disclaimer,' Shang Mingzhen explained it in great detail to prevent the righteous sects from finding fault with him later.

The cultivators, including Xie Jinhuan, listened quietly. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Shang Mingzhen finished explaining the rules and then continued:
"When you hear thunder, you may leave the city. When someone succeeds in obtaining the divine gift and steps through the city gate, three more claps of thunder will sound. At that time, regardless of the situation, you must stop fighting and treat any further killings as private duels. Do you all understand?"

Lu Yan was impatient and replied:

“I understand the rules, Young Master Shang, just tell me where it is.”

"yes……"

The sect leaders, including Zhang Jiwu and Madam Han, were all afraid that Lü Yan would steal their thunder, but they didn't know which opportunity he would give them, and they couldn't leave in advance. They could only wait and prepare.

Shang Mingzhen remained silent. After a short wait, a sound suddenly rang out from the rolling thunderclouds in the sky:
Boom! The bright lightning illuminated the entire city of Yanbo as if it were daytime, and the sound was deafening, startling many people present into shrinking back.

Hula~
At this moment, Shang Mingzhen pulled back the red cloth, revealing the three large characters 'Dragon Ridge'.

Whispering rustling——

Almost the instant the writing appeared, golden and red flames lit up the street outside the building, and the scorching wind made the cheeks of countless people sting.

When they came to their senses, they discovered that a golden-red arc of light, like a mad dog, had already reached the edge of the city. Following closely behind were several other streaks of light, all of which were the Daoist sect's Thousand-Mile Divine Travel Spell.

Zhang Jiwu, Madam Han, and other sect leaders and elders were not weak in their cultivation, but they were at a disadvantage when racing against Daoist cultivators. At present, they could only try their best to catch up. Meanwhile, the rogue cultivators who had not yet entered the super grade also used their supernatural abilities to fly over rooftops and walls to catch up. From a distance, there were hundreds of them, just like a thunderclap that startled a swarm of fleas in the rain.

Whew whistling...

The remaining cultivators, too timid to join the fun, remained standing, watching the departing figures of countless powerful figures, chattering amongst themselves:
"So many people? Dragon Ridge is a bit dangerous; there really are demonic snakes there..."

"With this kind of force, you think you're afraid of snakes? Even the ancestors of snakes would be wiped out if they came out!"

"Huh? Master Xie is really not leaving?!"

……

Many sect leaders and patriarchs disappeared into the distance like wild dogs that had broken free of their reins. When everyone looked back, they found that Xie Jinhuan, who had been standing in front, was also gazing into the distance, just like them, and had no intention of setting off.

Having already known the reason beforehand, the travelers from both the north and south who were there to watch the spectacle weren't surprised, but simply praised it:

"Thank you for your composure, Master Xie..."

"I think letting these people escape the city first is enough; if they stay too long, we might not be able to catch them..."

"Don't be afraid, Master Xie can go and block the Snake King Cave, it's the only way back from Dragon Ridge..."

"What a joke! How could a righteous and chivalrous hero like Master Xie do such a treacherous thing that disregards one's parents..."

……

Seeing that Xie Jinhuan hadn't left, Ye Yunchi naturally didn't move either. Only after noticing that the Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect had left did he quietly approach, sword in hand.
"When are we going there?"

Xie Jinhuan had already sent Sister Guo and her two wives out of the city first. He said they would leave later, so he definitely needed to maintain his image. His immediate response was:
"No rush, let the opportunity take its course for a while."

"Ok?"

Ye Yunchi blinked, finding the words rather strange, and nodded as if he understood but didn't quite.

Shan Hai Lou didn't keep the casual spectators waiting idly. After most people left, Shan Hai Lou opened another betting platform, ostensibly to cheer on the participating sect leaders and elders, but in reality, it was a way to gamble on horse racing and fleece the participants, betting on who would have the good fortune to win the mobile phone and return safely.

The odds for Lü Yan to seize the opportunity and return safely are 1 to 10, while the odds for Xie Jinhuan to return safely are 1 to 1 even if he doesn't set off. This shows how conservative the analysts at Shan Hai Lou are. However, it also shows that the lower levels of Yanbo City are unaware of Shang Mingzhen's true intentions.

Seeing that his odds were so low, Xie Jinhuan had no interest in participating in the betting. After waiting for a long time, he heard a fluctuation of energy coming from the northwest, indicating that powerful cultivators were already fighting there.

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan knew it was almost time, and looked up to ask:

"Young Master Shang, have you sensed any unusual activity from demons or monsters?"

Shang Mingzhen was very worried that Xie Jinhuan would stay in the city and not go out, but according to the rules, he also had to go and patrol. If he went out of the city and was ambushed by Xie Jinhuan, it would be a laughing stock. Therefore, he could only give an awkward reply:

"Shang's cultivation is shallow, his energy is too chaotic and the distance is too far, so it is still uncertain. According to the rules, it is not appropriate to rashly go and interfere."

"Then I'll go take a look. If there are any demonic disturbances, I hope Young Master Shang will not delay and can come to our aid in time."

It would be a miracle if Shang Ming could actually come to the rescue, but he still raised his hand to see him off respectfully.
"Of course, Young Master Xie, please do not be careless on this trip, and prioritize your safety."

Xie Jinhuan didn't bother with any more pleasantries. He cupped his hands in greeting to the countless eagerly waiting lone warriors, then, with his senior sister Naigua, took to the wind and sped off towards the source of the commotion...
-
My sleep schedule is back to normal. I start writing around 6 or 7 in the morning, and I still have one more chapter to write this afternoon.
(End of this chapter)